Window-shade pull



Oct. 14, 1930. G. A. HIGBEE WINDOW SHADE PULL Filed Aug. 24, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Oct. 14, 1930 PATENT d0F F ICE WINDOW-SHADE PULL Application led .August 24, 1928. Serial No. 301,731.

This invention relates to fasteners, and particularly 4to-fasteners lfor attachingr pull cords towindow shades.

An object of the invention is to provide a ..75 fastener for securing to a window shade (or other support) la pull cord (or other cord) and to adapt said fastener to be very quickly attached, to withstand a heavy pull, to be inexpensively manufactured, and to present #1.0 a neat and attractive appearance.

Another object is to provide a fastener comprising a member insertable in the reinforcingstick-of a window shade (or in some other suitable support) and directly engageable by the pull .cord of the. shade (or by some other supported element) and further comprising a cap adapted to conceal said member and adapted to distribute to the shade stick or othersupport such stresses as are imposed 'upon said member in use.

',Stillanother object is to resiliently conneet such a cap to the member which it con'- .ceals so that the cap may be temporarily sprung out from the surface on which it seats to Lpermit ready engagement or disengagementof a cord with or from said member.

' These and various other objects the invention attains by the construction hereinafter described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

-; Fig. lis a fragmentary elevational View of the-lower portion of a window shade equipped with the herein disclosed pull cord fastener. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the i 'same on line 2 2 of Fig. l.

l Fig?) is a side elevational view of?y an alternative construction, showing how the same may be tilted to facilitate engagement or disengagement of a'cord beneath the cap of said fastener.

Fig. l is a vertical sectional view of the same. 1

Fig. 5 is ahorizontalsectional view of the fsame.

Fig. 6 is a rear view of a dished cap employed in the alternative construction.

Fig. 7 is a plan viewof a sheet metal blank from which is to be formed the cap of another .modifieation ofthe fastener.

Fig. 8 is an edge view of said blankshowing a screw riveted thereto.

Fig. 9 shows the blank pressed to a dished form, adapting it to nt over the headed end portion of the screw. y

Fig.l l0 is a vertical sectional View of a fastener formed asv illustrated in Figs. 7, Sand 9, engaged with a window shade.

In the construction shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the referencecharacter l designates an ordinary ywindow shadeihaving atV its bottom edge the usual hem 2 receiving a reinforcing strip 3,` formed usually of wood. A screw 4 iis passed through one side of .said hem and threaded into the strip 3, and aidoubled pull cord 5 .is looped around the shank of saidy screw. yThe `latter rigidly carries'ga .dished header cap '6 preferably sheet metal, which seats through the hem 2 against the strip V3. A marginal notchV 8 `in said head opensfdownwardly to,.acconnnodate the f doubled cord, when 1the fastener is inuse.

The described fastener may be very quickly ,installed by looping the pull cord about `the screw shank, passingjsaidv cord lthrough the notch 8, and then using the freeend portion of the cord tOrOtatethe fastener Vwhile pressing the latter against thestrip 3.

Thehead or cap 6 conceals the connection between the pull cord and Screw and may, if

`desired,l)e ,ornamentally designed and 'finished toY present a pleasing and attractive appearance. '.Safid head ,furthermore powerfully resists any yielding of thescrewresponsive to ,a ,downwardl pulll exerted upon the cord 5,sin'ce saidhead` seats upon vthe hemsuficien'tly distant from'the screw. shank to strongly maintain the screw in its proper substantially perpendicular relation tothe surface through which the screw'j enters the strip 5.

Iny case it. provesdesirable to shorten the pull cordby'intermediately forming a knot therein `and cutting off the 'looped portion above ysaid'knot, the chamber formed within the head '6 is ladequateto accommodate such f a knot.

In the Vmodification shown in F igs.j3 to6 vinclusive a pull cord4 9 is attached to the 'reinroo . spring. 't L looping the upper end of the doubled cord about a screw 12 threaded into said strip. This construction again employs a dished head or cap 13 formed preferably of sheet metal but spring-connected to the screw 12 instead of rigidly carried by the latter as in the first-described construction. Thus the rim portion of the head 13 is flanged outwardly and then inwardly bent as indicated at 14 to form a channel into which is sprung a circular portion 15 of an approximately conical wire spring member 16 which extends upwardly and inwardly from said circular portion in a substantial spiral and terminally forms a loop 17 beneath theV head of the screw 12. From said loop an end portion 18 of said wire extends through the slot of the screw head whereby the spring is adapted to rotatively drive the screw. The circular portion of said lspring is snapped into the channel 13 of the cap under sufficient pressure to insure a rotation of the spring with said cap.

rlhus said cap is adapted to turn the screwV 12 into the strip 10 or other engagedinember and at the same timeV may be sprung slightly kout from the surface of said strip or'member,

as shown in Fig. 3, to permit ready insertion or withdrawal'of a looped cord beneath said cap. As in the first described construction the cap 13`1is marginally notched at 19 to accommodate said cord, and preferably an end portion 2O of the spring engages in said notch to furtherV adapt vthe cap to drivethe It is a feature of this form of the invention that the spring connectionbetween the cap 13 and screw 12 permits said cap to be tilted when desired as indicatedin dash lines in Fig. 4 to facilitate removaljof the pull cord or replacement thereof. Thus thev cord can be taken off for washing, mending or any other purpose and readily replaced Without disturbing the screw 12.

In that form of the invention which is illustrated in Figs. 7 to 10 inclusive, 21 designates a. sheet metal blank consisting of Va circular portion 21 having an arm y22 projecting radially therefrom, slits 23. being extended into said blank from the margin thereon, one on each side of said arm and the latter being formed at its free end with an aperture 24. Y

After stamping out such blank the next step consists in securing a screw 25 in the aperture 24 with the head of said screw abut` ting said arm. This connection may be rigldlyestablished by` riveting, welding or 1n anyvother suitable manner see Fig. 8).

` f By means of suitable dies the circular mem'- b'er v21 of the blank is nowv dished to form the cap illustrated in Fig. 9. To complete the construction the arm 22 is bent into the cap in proximity to the interior face thereof as indicated in Fig. 10, thereby locating the screw 25 in a substantial axial relation to the 1 said cap-andsaid arm is furthermore suliiciently resilient to permit a temporary outn ward adjustment of the cap to facilitate inv sertion of a cord beneath the cap or its removal therefrom.

While it will be apparent that the illustrated embodiment of my invention here disclosed is wellk calculated toadequately fulfill the objects and advantages primarily stated,

it is to be understood that the invention is Y susceptible to variation, modification and change withinfthe spirit and scope of the subjoined claims.

That 1 claim is:

l. A fastener comprising al screw', a head dished to inclose an end portion of said screw, and means resiliently attaching said head to said screw.

2. A fastener comprising a screw having an integral head,"a supplemental dished head having a central laperture toreceive the screw head, and spring means mounting the dished head upon said shank acent to said integral head.

3. A fastener comprising a screw having a pointed end, a head' dished to inclose the other end portion of said screw, said head being marginally inwardly flangech and a spring member engaging said marginal iange within said dished head and engaging said shank adj acent to its other endl 4. A fastener comprising a headed shank, a supplemental head dishedV to inclose the outer portion of said shank and formed with a central opening tor receive the shank head, and a spring engaging said screw adjacent to its integral head and engaging said dished head adjacent to the margin thereof.

5.- A fastener comprising a shank pointed at one end and headed at the other,a supplemental head dished to inclose the outer portion of said shank centrally apertured for-the passage; of said shank and formed acent to its margin with an abut ment, and a spring, mounting said supple` mental head upon said shank, having a cen" the other end portion of said support, and

y portion of said insert, said cap having a flexible integral portion attaching it to ksaid in sert.

9. A fastener comprising an insert substantially pointed at one end, and a cap dished to surround and .conceal the other end portion of said insert, said cap having an arm integrally extending from a marginal por tion thereof, andestablishing the cap` in a substantially axial registration with said insert.

l0. Ay fastener comprising an insert substantially pointed at one end, and a cap dished to substantially surround and conceal the other end portion of said insert, said cap having a resilient arm extending thereinto from its rim portion and rigidly connected to said insert establishing the ,cap in substantial axial registration with the insert, a portion of said arm being struck out of the margin of the cap and forming an opening through which an element engaging said insert may pass.

1l. A fastener comprising a screw, a head dished to enclose a portion of said screw, and formed separately from the screw, and a resilient actuating connection from said head to said screw.

l2. A fastener comprising a screw, a head formed separately from said screw, and an actuating connection from said head to said screw, normally maintaining a coaxial relai. tion between the head and screw, and affording the head a tilting movement relative to the screw.

13. A fastener comprising a screw, a dished head, and a spring lying completely within said head, establishing an actuating connection from said head to said screw, and

normally maintaining the head coaxial with the screw, while aording the head a tilting movement relative to the screw.

le. A fastener comprising a pointed insert, a head dished to enclose the portion of said insert remote from its point and formed separately from said insert, and a spring lying completely within said head normally maintaining said head coaxial with said insert and aording said head a limited tilting movement relative to the insert.

15. ln a device of the character described, the combination with a fastener comprising a dished head having a notched periphery and a threaded shank axially carried by said head, of a pull cord looped around said shank and thereby adapted to be attached by said fastener to a support, said cord being engageable in the notch of said head for effecting a rotation of said fastener to screw its shank into said support.

In testimony whereof I sign this specification.

GLENN A. HIGBEE. 

